Chief Taylor West proposes 33% sick‑leave payout to retain dispatchers during Layton merger

Chief Taylor West told the Davis County Commission at a March 24 work session that county staff plan to merge the county dispatch center with Layton and proposed a one-time sick‑leave payout to retain trained dispatchers who might otherwise leave before the transfer.

"That payout, if I've calculated correctly for the 10 that meet that 10 year burden ... is about 34,163 that the county will pay," Chief Taylor West said, and added that extending the same 33% payout to employees with fewer than 10 years would raise the total to about $47,005.93. He said the county should offer the greater of one‑third of an employee's sick balance or $500 and argued the payout would likely be cheaper than covering overtime if employees left early: "I think we would very easily, eat that up in overtime over this next couple of months."

The proposal is tied to the planned transfer date; West and commissioners discussed using October 1 as the target date for the merger and January 1 as the accrual baseline for calculating eligible sick‑leave balances. West said any payout for employees under 10 years would be conditional on staying through the merger, while employees already eligible under the 10‑year rule could leave and still receive the payout.

The commission chair said he had reviewed a prior feasibility study that recommended a countywide dispatch system and expressed disappointment the merger did not move forward as a unified county center, but he thanked staff for proposing a solution to reduce staff loss.

County staff agreed to run exact payroll calculations using the agreed baseline date and to draft a formal policy setting out eligibility, payout calculations and the effective date. "Sean will put together a draft policy for final consideration that'll come back before the commission for approval at a future meeting," West said. The staff draft will return to the commission for consideration; no formal vote took place at the work session.

The commission adjourned at 09:40.